When ‘Rebirth’ began, one of the most unexpected creators to be a part of it was [Christopher] Priest. Priest, fresh off of Valiant’s “Q2: The Return of Quantum and Woody,” had not done a major DC or Marvel work in over a decade. Priest spoke specifically of being attracted to the character because it was something he hadn’t done before, and he was looking forward to the challenge of writing Slade Wilson.
Well, fifty plus issues later, Priest has wrapped up his Deathstroke story. Did he stick the landing? Let’s find out together.
Written by PriestCover by Carlo Pagulayan
Penciled by Carlo Pagualayan and Fernando Pasarin
Inked by Jason Paz, Oclair Albert, Norm Rapmund, and Danny Miki
Colored by Jeromy Cox
Lettered by Willie SchubertIt all comes down to this. With the fate of his family hanging in the balance, the real Slade Wilson must take on his most dangerous foe yet-himself!
This double-sized issue attempts to tie up the loose ends of 50 issues of “Deathstroke,” which touching on most of the major storylines that flowed in and out of the book in the 4+ years it ran. And, for the most part, Priest manages to do just that. Major storylines with Slade, his kids Joseph and Rose, and some of his supporting cast like Isherwood and Villain all get wrapped up in a satisfactory way.
Two of the tentpole artists of this run, Carlo Pagulayan and Fernando Pasarin, penciled this final issue, and both do work that blends seamlessly with the other’s. Both men do really gorgeous work in this issue, with a nice mixture of out and out blockbuster action and some more quiet moments. Priest brings back a lot of the characters that have played important parts in the book – Batman, the Teen Titans – in an interesting way early in the issue, and Pagulayan and Pasarin are just as comfortable drawing these classic DC characters engaged in battle as they are showing Slade as his most domesticated.
And yet, their styles play in the mud of modern superhero comics. There’s nothing transgressive or reactionary about their work. While Priest’s scripts may be unique in the DC line, the art doesn’t feel as outside the box. That’s not a knock, as it actually grounds the book into more familiar territory, and let’s folks who may be turned off by an unorthodox story still recognize something in this book. It, hopefully, acted as a bridge for fans who wanted a more traditional (read: dumb) Slade story into something unexpected.
Perhaps the most impressive part of Priest’s “Deathstroke” run is how it manages to be both a seamless part of the current DC Universe and also something that doesn’t feel beholden to anything but itself. This issue seems connections to the ‘Year of the Villain’ and the Dark Multiverse, but don’t feel like distractions from Priest’s overarching story. In addition, Pagulayan and Pasarin manage to take those concepts and blend them into the, forgive the term, ‘house style’ of the book, allowing everything a really connected tone.
The one glaring omission from this issue is one of the central moments in the book, where Slade, internally and externally, was blamed for the death of someone that, in fact, wasn’t dead. That was Tanya Spears, aka Power Girl, who was introduced in the New 52 and was part of Slade’s Defiance team. The reveal at the end of the “Deathstroke Annual” #1 was that Tanya was actually trapped in some sort of techno world, or computer, or something of the like. Tanya’s “death” really drove the book for awhile, leading to Defiance being dissolved, and Slade truly turning away from his more heroic, altruistic ways (although, let’s be fair, that was never going to really stick).
While the final issue does present Slade with an opportunity, both literally and figuratively, to walk away from his past, if you’ve been reading Priest’s entire run, that seems about as likely as Defiance being a longterm team in the DC universe. Like most of Priest’s run, this issue takes great care to present layers to every encounter, and, specifically, show Slade what might be or could have been. With Slade literally having a meal with an older version of himself, Priest is presenting the choice, clear as day: get out or become the monster sitting across from you. And even when Slade takes steps to do that, he can’t really. He’s the Terminator, it is in his bones.
Continued belowIn this sequence, once again, the art speaks volumes. Older Slade, with limited healing factor, looks like a nightmare version of the person sitting across from him. But it isn’t over the top; he looks like a worn out, husk of a soldier. Sure, he’s a little more bulked up, almost like a commentary on how, after Frank Miller, thicc became synonymous with ‘old’ in superhero comics, but the art has restraint that still feels appropriately garish for a big guns Big 2 book.
One of the most notable things about Priest’s run, in terms of his characterization, is that Slade never gets de-fanged. While we see Priest do good at times, he is never forced to give a stirring “I’ve changed” speech. He’s still very much a bastard, but he is a bastard that may want to be different, but is incapable of change. This continues while people around him change at rapid rates, sometimes because of Slade’s decision. Whether it is Jospeh being literally transformed by Lex Luthor’s gift, or Isherwood becoming Doomsday Slade, or Rose taking up his mantle, he is constantly presented with actual change, but refuses, or is unable, to change himself.
It would’ve been very easy for this issue to take the easy way out, but Priest can’t do that. While he, more or less, resets Slade for whoever takes up the pen next, he also keeps most of the series’ core conceits and premises in place. This could be a run that influences future Deathstroke stories, and should be, but Priest has done the old school technique of leaving the pieces, more or less, where he found them.
It is hard to take this issue in isolation, because it truly is the culmination of so, so much storytelling. Between the series, its sole Annual, the ‘Rebirth’ special, and the two Teen Titans crossovers, Priest has told a sprawling, yet manageable, story with Slade. His style, complete with page/scene title cards, is inimitable, and will likely never be replicated again on a “Deathstroke” book. This was the third such ongoing series since the start of the New 52, and the first one to do anything remotely interesting with the character.
With both Priest and Slade without announced next steps at DC, we can only hope that the DC brass has taken note of just how spectacular this series has been, and lets both its architect and its central character do interesting things in 2020.
The best ‘Rebirth’ comic has ended. Long live “Deathstroke.”
Final Verdict: 8.8 – A wonderful conclusion to a magnificent series.
